Former JLP chairman Peter Lewis passes away

Peter Lewis, who served as chairman of the John Lewis Partnership from 1972 to 1993, has passed away aged 95. 

Lewis was the Partnership’s third chairman when he took the role in 1972, and was the son of Oswald Lewis and the nephew of John Spedan Lewis, who founded the company. 

He was also the father of Kate, who worked as a central buyer for John Lewis, and Patrick Lewis, the group’s former executive director of finance.

He first joined the partnership in 1959 as a management trainee, and after his initial months in the Partnership, became manager of the stationery department at John Lewis, Oxford Street, before being appointed central buyer for stationery in 1960. 

In the years that followed, he moved to other key roles such as assistant general inspector, assistant director of trading, department stores, and then becoming director of trading, department stores before being appointed deputy chairman in 1970 and chairman in October 1972. 

According to the retailer, under Lewis’ chairmanship JLP underwent considerable change and technological development from trialling the first electronic cash registers at Peter Jones in 1974 before they were rolled out across the entire shop estate; the opening of many new John Lewis stores from Edinburgh to Kingston; and Waitrose celebrating its 100th store opening and Partnership sales hitting £1bn for the first time. 

Sharon White, chairman of John Lewis Partnership, said: “I never had the pleasure of meeting Peter personally, though I worked with his son, Patrick. Peter and I did exchange messages from time to time. As is traditional, I write to my predecessors the day before our financial results are announced to share with them the numbers. 

“Peter quite often used to write back with an encouraging word, which I always appreciated. There will be partners in the Partnership today who remember Peter as chairman and I know he will be sorely missed by so many.”